Author: heidiauthorgmailcom

Thanksgiving is here again. My favorite holiday. It isn’t about presents. It isn’t about the mad frenzy to get everything just right. It’s simple and sweet. A day to gather with loved ones to share a meal and to count our blessings.

Every day should be Thanksgiving.

It’s all too easy to think about what we don’t have, to complain about what is wrong in our lives or in this world. We all need to take a moment to think of what we do have. To hold on tight to those who matter. To cherish another day to live as fully as possible, dawn to dusk.

Mother Teresa once said, “Be happy in the moment, that’s enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.”

While you’re picking out something good in your life, I give you a challenge. What can you do to make a difference, to be the reason someone else wears a smile and says…thank you?

Happy Thanksgiving to all, near and far. Wishing you health, hope and happiness. Always.

I haven’t been myself lately. It’s hard to find that sparkle. I smile. I laugh. I put on a brave face. Inside…I’m struggling. Maybe it’s because I will be 48 tomorrow. Maybe it’s because my nest is empty. Or because I have doubts about reaching my goals. To fully be who I am meant to be.

Usually, I can pick myself up and shake it off. I’m not there yet.

I’m sure you understand.

So I’m taking a little time to dig deep and pay attention to the quote I shared today. To remember. God chose me. Lit the divine spark inside of me. Wanted me. And set me right where I am supposed to be. It will be all right.

I’ve fallen in love again. It happens every time, with every story I write. I can’t help it. The characters in my novels are like the best of friends. I’ve figured out why. They’re the kind of people I admire most in the world. They have qualities that shine a light in the darkness. Like my parents. Like my teachers. Like my extended family. Like my best of friends. The everyday heroes who show us the extraordinary in the ordinary as they dig deep and show us how to cut our problems down to size. Every time.

Wyatt Henry is my new favorite.

You fell in love with the Henrys in A Man of Few Words and Hindsight’s 20/20. The journey began with Jackson Henry and continued with his youngest son, Emmett. Now, it’s his oldest son’s turn. Meet Emmett’s big brother, Wyatt.

Wyatt Henry has always been his brother’s keeper. It’s been his job. That, and learning how to be a horse farmer and a man above measure like his father, Jackson Henry—the Henry Way. Emmett made his arrival when Wyatt was two years old, and his kid brother has lit up his world ever since. He’s been the light in the darkness—when his mother died when he was only six, when his father died in a tragic accident on the farm. So what does he do when that light could be snuffed out?

When Emmett jumps in to help a damsel in distress in a barroom fight, he suffers a severe head injury that leaves him blind. It nearly destroys him, taking Wyatt with him. Wyatt has to try and help his brother pick up the pieces. He won’t give up on him, no matter how depressed and angry Emmett is. While he is dealing with Emmett’s challenges, Wyatt will face a life-threatening illness of his own. Through it all, his wife Samantha will be at his side as they work together to take Jackson Henry’s advice and make mountains into molehills.

Out now on Kindle, Nook, and in print at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, or ask at your local bookstore. If they don’t have it, they can order it! I hope you’ll fall in love with a Henry the way I have. These men are some of my favorites! Everyone needs a Henry!

Do you ever feel like you’re doing it all wrong…or you’re not good enough, not measuring up?

Stop looking at someone else’s tape measure.

We are all so afraid we aren’t living up to what is expected of us. Just worry about what YOU want out of your life. Keep trying. Pick yourself up when you fall. Do YOUR best. And at the end of the day, tell yourself, “I’m good enough for me. I AM ENOUGH.”

Are you always questioning yourself, looking for answers, for that spark? Is there something you want to do, burning deep down in your gut, but doubt is holding you back? Worse yet, has someone else been putting you down? Take a good look at yourself. At your heart. Your soul. Your dreams. What do you want?

If you know what it is, no matter how impossible it may seem, reach inside of you. It might be buried beneath a mountain of fear and rejection. You might be your own worst enemy.

It’s time to be your champion.

You can do it. Go after what you want. Let it take you on an incredible journey. No one ever got anywhere by standing still.

No matter who you are…where you are…or where you want to be in life, never shortchange yourself or try and fit someone else’s expectations. You have a divine spark like no one else’s. Feed it. Let it burn bright for all to see. Light up the world with what you have inside of you. Everyone can be a copycat.

It’s not going to be easy. As a matter of fact, this chasing dreams stuff, this taking risks, this putting yourself out there? It’s hard. Really hard. If you’re like me, you’re going to have terrifying moments of self-doubt. You’ll be fired up and all gung-ho only to be rejected. Again. And again. There will be incredible highs and devastating lows. You’ll really find out the true meaning of patience. It’s going to be a challenge. Every step of the way.

It’s going to change you.

If that voice in your head won’t leave you alone, if that something in your gut keeps poking at you telling you to do this thing, you’re going to have to make it happen. Don’t give up. Don’t quit. Believe me. I know that you’ll want to and you’ll feel really down sometimes, but pick yourself up and keep at it…even when it’s two steps forward and three steps back. Catch 22.

It’s one heck of a ride. It will take you to amazing places. You’ll meet other people who have something in common with a passion like yours. And in the end…

You’ll be someone new, someone you are proud of, and you won’t want to go back to who or where you used to be.